Qatari Foreign Minister unlikely to establish ties with Israel'

The Qatari foreign minister stressed that there will be no normalization of relations between Qatar and the Zionist regime until the Palestinian issue with the Zionists is resolved.

Qatar is unlikely to normalize relations with Israel unless the conflict with the Palestinians has been resolved, according to Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

In an interview Friday, he also told CNBC he’s optimistic about improved ties with fellow Gulf Cooperation Council members that lifted a 3½-year blockade against Qatar in January.

In U.S.-brokered deals, Israel signed agreements last year with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan establishing diplomatic ties. But countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia maintained that Israel must first sign a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

The main reason Qatar doesn’t have relations with Israel “is the occupation of the Palestine territories,” said Al Thani.

“The reason is still there, still valid, and there is no … step or any hope toward peace yet. We didn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel,” the foreign minister told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday.

I believe we should address the conflict first … then we take the step to have the peace with Israel.

Abdulrahman Al Thani

Establishing relations with Israel won’t solve the long-standing problems between Israel and the Palestinians, added Al Thani, who is also deputy prime minister of Qatar.

“I believe we should address the conflict first … then we take the step to have peace with Israel,” he said.

His comments come weeks after Israel and Hamas reached a cease-fire agreement following 11 days of fighting.

Reuters, citing state news agency QNA, reported on May 23 that Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said the country will try to stop Israeli “aggression” against Palestinians.

Foreign Minister Al Thani also said Qatar is willing to facilitate talks between the U.S. and Iran.

Tehran has been negotiating a return to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with the U.S. and other world powers in Vienna since April, but it’s unclear when talks could conclude.

“The U.S. is a strategic ally for Qatar, and we want to maintain this strategic alliance,” he said. On the other hand, Iran is “our next-door neighbor, and we want to see stability over there.”

He said Qatar would be willing to facilitate discussions if asked.

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